The Other

Description

Awards
Indie Spec Best Documentary Award at the sold-out Premiere at the Boston International Film Festival
Best Documentary Award at Cinema d’Idea in Rome, Italy
Special Jury Award: Bridging Cultures at the Arizona International Film Festival

Official Selections
Boston International Film Festival
Arizona International Film Festival
Cinema d’Idea Rome
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Other Israel Film Festival New York
Solidarity Human Rights Festival Tel Aviv

Synopsis

Filmed from 2017 to 2024, including post-October 7th and during the subsequent war, The Other focuses on Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders, anti-occupation activists, artists, academics, ex-fighters, bereaved parents, and many others living the realities on the ground. Whether through nonviolent co-resistance, peace-building, or shared community, we witness individuals who have only known each other through hate, bloodshed, inequality, and war transcend beyond narratives and belief systems. They teach us that unlearning deep-seated conditioning is possible, and that liberation from generational trauma, hatred, and fear—no matter how ingrained and legitimate those fears may seem—is within reach.

Post-October 7th & During the Subsequent War:
The Other revisited subjects from the film to explore where they stand now, showcase their progress toward peace, justice, co-resistance, and human rights, and unpack the added complexity and trauma in a post-October 7th Israel-Palestine. Among those featured are Ahmed Helou, a Gazan ex-Hamas member turned peace activist who has since lost 60 family members in Gaza. New voices are also introduced, including Maoz Inon, a Jewish Israeli whose parents were both murdered on October 7th, as well as Standing Together, a Jewish-Arab movement within Israel that fights for peace, equality, and social justice in Israel-Palestine.

In the face of such atrocities and polarization, The Other showcases an alternate reality: an entire ecosystem of peace-builders and activists in Israel-Palestine working together toward a better future.

Director

Joy Sela is a Jewish Israeli-American director and filmmaker based in New York. She spent 15 years in digital and experiential marketing before pivoting to film production. In 2011, she started her own agency, where she currently serves as Creative Director. In 2016, Joy founded the non-profit Positive Disruption Fund alongside the Positive Disruption brand, creating and supporting projects that inspire positive change.

In 2017, Joy launched We Uncover Films to tell stories that disrupt belief systems, challenge collective conditioning, and explore the transformation of self and society. She filmed, directed, and produced her first feature documentary, The Other, from 2017 to 2024. The Other won the Indie Spec Best Documentary award at a sold-out premiere in April 2024 and has since received multiple awards, including Best Documentary in Rome. The Other is currently screening at festivals.